


Meetings

by BakaRamenBowl



Series: penpalstuck [3]
Category: Homestuck, MS Paint Adventures
Genre: Humanstuck, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-13
Updated: 2013-06-13
Packaged: 2017-12-08 08:41:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 3,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/759383
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BakaRamenBowl/pseuds/BakaRamenBowl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>the third installment of the penpalstuck universe.</p><p>Karkat and John have just finished their senior year of high school, and they are off for the summer before they head off to university. Eleven years of being best friends, despite having half the world between them. They had never even met. </p><p>Karkat has his house to himself because of an accident keeping him from joining his family on a trip around the world.</p><p>John has three months to waste before going to college.</p><p>let my madness begin.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Tripping!

**Author's Note:**

> i apologize in advance for the crappy grammer and stuff. this was written on my tablet at 130 am.

Karkat sighed. His family was travelling around the world, but he was stuck watching the house because he had broken his femur playing football and had to have surgury to get his femur reset. that was about three months ago. he was able to walk around with a cane, and he had never been so thankful to have his bed be on the bottom floor of their house. but for the last three days John hadn't contacted him. Karkat really hoped that he wasnt going to repeat eighth grade. Kar would have to hobble to washington and beat egbert stupid with his cane. well, stupider.

as of today, though, the albino was bored out of his skull. he hadnt connected to John today either, and it was bugging him. "maybe this isnt healthy..." he mumbled to himself as he walked to the fridge and pulled out a small bottle of grape juice. just as he sat down to enjoy his purple drink of goodness, there was a knock on the door. "What the ever loving fuck is it now?!" he screamed, slamming his juice down and storming to the front door as best as a half crippled angry albino man could. 

he wrenched the door open and all the comments and complaints he had died on his tongue. Standing there on his doorstep was a young man, about his age. he had brilliant blue eyes that matched the sky above the clouds and fair skin. he had glasses and freckles across the bridge of his nose. he was fit, strong, but not bulky, and at least a head taller than karkats five foot two inch frame. The man had a blue captain america shirt and cerulean flannel on, along with blue jeans and yellow vans shoes. the stranger had black hair that was sticking everywhere, probably from the obscene number of cowlicks he had. the look was topped of with a dorky grin that showed of red braces, the rubber bands that were helping to adjust his jaw still in place. on his right wrist was a simple black watch and his hand was holding onto the handle of a suitcase.

he lifted his left hand and waved, a large number of silver chain bracelets covered in charms shining in the light. "Hi, Are you Karkat Vantas?" he asked. he had an american accent too. all karkat could think was 'oh no, hes hot'.

"Uh... Y-yeah?" was all karkat could stutter out. The hottie on his door step knew him?

"oh, wow!" the dorky grin grew impossibly brighter, nearly blinding the poor vantas. "youre shorter than i imagined! hehehe.. that sounds wierd. sorry! um, im John."

Karkat slammed the door in his face. he leaned against it, his face burning horribly. John? as in Egbert? as in his best fucking friend who he totally didnt have secret feelings for who lived halfway around the world and he met in second grade through a stupid penpal project john egderp stupid dumb john egbert john egbert?

there was another knock on the door. "Karkat?" the american asked. Karkat gulped, but opened the door again.

"Get your stupid dumb ass in here right the fuck now john egderp." Karkat said, pulling on the still raised left wrist of his friend. once the american was inside, karkat realized that he was still in his pink fluffy kitten pyjamas that meulin and nepeta made him for christmas. "now tell me, john egbert, what the fuck are you doING IN ENGLAND?!" karkat yelled at him, causing him to jump.

"oh..." john actually had the nerve to look sheepish. "im keeping my promise.... and dad wanted me to see some of te world b-"

"you fucking remembered that? that was in fourth grade." karkat was shocked. john remembered?

"of course i remembered, dummy!" he stuck out his wrist and showed karkat a shiney gold teapot on the third bracelet going up his wrist. "you made me swear on my dads life. that after i graduated high school i would spent the summer with you."

"oh my god..." karkat could only stare at him with his wide -totally not watery- pink eyes.

"so am i forgiven for showingup out of nowhere?" john winced slightly.

karkat nodded, tossing his cane away and hugging the brunette around the neck tightly. "you are supider than stupid dumb. you are stupid stupid dumb. i am changing that to your name on my phone as soon as i am not totally not crying." he said, grinning into his shoulder.

john just laughed and agreed, hugging him back as well.


	2. Seeing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John kinda starts to notice little things about Karkat.

==> John, forget that you're staring

That action is actually fairly easy for him to do. John had been staying at Karkat's house for about a week now, and his internal clock had finally adjusted to the new timezone. But now whenever he was around Karkat, he couldn't seem to pry his eyes away until he got caught staring. Or was spoken to.

Of course, he had seen pictures of Karkat. The albino hated school photo time, but he always sent one to John. Still, seeing a person on a photograph is completely different from seeing them in real life. 

Karkat had like, medium short hair. It was long enough to cover his ears, but not much longer than that. His eyes were pink, but sometimes they looked red, if he was in the correct lighting. He was shorter that John had anticipated, but in his mind, that made him cute. because everybody knows that short=cute. Karkat's hair was much lighter than Dave's or Bro's or Dirk's. They had light blond hair, but Karkat's was the color of freshly fallen snow. His skin was practically paper white as well. But that wasn't what had John staring.

What drew his eyes were the small things. Like how Karkat curled up on the sofa to watch his romcoms and how he would silently mouth along to every line as though he knew it by heart. which would not surprise John if he did. How he bit his lip for about a minute before asking him anything. how he liked to curl his toes when he stood up from the sofa. John liked watching him, because he didn't know if this would be the last time he saw him.

"John, what has you so fucking captivated?" Karkat asked, glaring at him.

"Nothing. I was just spacing out." John laughed. He had wondered how much more interesting Karkat would be in person, but he didn't expect to be so... drawn to him. John really just kinda wanted to cuddle him. In a no homo sort of way... Okay, okay. In the completely homo sort of way. But Karkat totally wouldn't like that. Or him in that way. Shit, if John was completely honest with himself, which he wasn't... all the time, he was in love with the Vantas.

==> Karkat, ignore the idiot to go find food

Easily. Karkat simply walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge, looking in to find a container of grape juice. and a pint of whipping cream. And a lemon. He then walked over to the cupboard and found a can of pickled beets and three slices of bread.

"fuck." He said. now he would have to go to the corner store and get more food.

"Stupid stupid dumb. We have to go get food." He called into the den.

"Why?"

"Because we only have juice, cream, three slices of bread and pickled beets!" He yelled. "And unless you know how to make a fucking cake out of that shit, We need to get food."


	3. In Which John makes cake out of the stuff in the pantry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John takes on the challenge.

John had set out the ingredients on the counter, and was now looking at them. Karkat sat behind him in a chair and looked absolutely disgusted that John was going to do this instead of going shopping.

The ingredients were a half full (thanks to Karkat) container of grape juice, a pint of whipping cream, a can of pickled beets, three slices of white bread, a quarter cup of sugar that he had found in the freezer and a lemon.

John was going to make a cake.

After a while he just made whipped cream with the sugar and cream and spread it on the bread.

"voila. cake." He said, offering one of the bread slices to Karkat.

"bullshit." The albino said, taking a bite out of the snack. "huh, not bad."

"Thanks." John said, eating his slice. " I made extra whipped cream if you want it."

"John Egbert, If you keep making shit this good, I will have to force you to marry me." Karkat said, killing off his 'cake' and devouring half of the whipped cream.

"It's simple stuff, Karkat. You could easily make it yourself."

"Fuck that. You are now my wife. You get to go to college and learn shit except for when you're at home, when you stay in the kitchen and make me food. I will go out and get a job and pay for our lives and we shall live in the country and have five kids and a ferret."

"and a ferret?" John raised an eyebrow.

"And a ferret." Karkat nodded.

The two of them stared at each other for a few moments before bursting into laughter.

"Alright then Karkat. Let's go to the store so i can get stuff to make you more food." John chuckled.

"Yes!" Karkat stood up and hobbled to his cupboard. "let me get real clothes on." 

"Alright." John started to tidy up the counter space and had just finished wiping the counter off when Karkat hobbled back with a backpack over his shoulders.

The two of them walked down the street, John holding the umbrella to keep the light sun off of Karkat, and they did what they always had. They talked about nothing and everything. John was amazed at how different it was in England, and was completely humiliated with how the 'hip' teens spoke in 'american' lingo. One of them had stopped him and asked where he was from. Their immediate response was somewhere between "wassup biznetch" and "hey fucker want to paarty?"

John actually turned red and curled up into a ball on the sidewalk-pavement?- and hyperventilated while trying not to cry. Karkat punched the kid and dragged John away.

The american teen had calmed down by the time they had reached the grocer's. he remembered the ingredients he needed, and when they got home, Karkat helped him translate the measures from U.S. standard to metric. 

About an hour later, john pulled a red velvet cake out of the oven and turned it on a rack to cool. Karkat was licking icing off the beaters as John iced the cake. Karkat kept bugging him about it and they had cake for dinner.

After dinner, the two of them put in another movie to watch. This one was Titanic, one of Kar's favorites. Karkat was holding onto a pillow for most of the movie, until the whole chasing the lovers around the ship, where he leaned against John. John subconsciously wrapped his arms around the short albino, and soothed him as he cried at the end. He whispered soothing words and pressed kisses to his crown. After Kar had calmed down, he shoved away from John and wished him good night. He couldn't let himself hope.

And John couldn't either.


	4. in which John finds a cat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John finds a kitty.  
> Karkat gets jealous.
> 
>  
> 
> so does Carcat.

Karkat sat on the sofa, watching love and other disasters, when john comes in from the storm outside and runs right past him and into the kitchen. With out even a glance in his direction. Was he running the tap?

"John Susan Egbert, what are you doing?"

"My middle name is not Susan, Karkat. You know that, and as for what I'm doing... It's hard to explain..."

"Bullshit, Stupid Stupid Dumb." Karkat said, pausing the movie and getting up and going to the kitchen to see what was going on.

John was holding something under the running water and was shushing it softly. Karkat walked next to him, and looked at the tiny white kitten in john's palm. it's eyes weren't even opened yet. and it was shaking awfully. It meowed loudly, making john quickly turn off the tap, grab a towel and rub the poor thing dry and warm.

He handed the thing to Karkat and got out a tiny bottle and some kitten formula, preparing it and taking the kitten back from Kar and feeding it.

"john, where did you find that?" the albino asked, as something rubbed against his legs. He jumped with a shriek, then groaned in pain before looking down and seeing an old gray cat with gold eyes rub rub against his legs again.

"Uh... Wait... Carcat?" Kar blinked down at the gray cat and it yowled right at him.

"You have a cat?"

"Yeah, i have a cat! But i literally havent seen the fucker since we got him. asshole's like sixteen years old!" He said before carefully leaning down and picking him up.

"And you named him..."

"My mum named him, thank you very much. and she named him Carcat with c's to differentiate between us. And because he can be a pissy little fucker."

"PffffT" John snickered, finishing up feeding the kitten, and taking care of it's other needs as he sat on the couch. "If that's carcat, then this is John Kat."

"excuse me? we can't keep it."

"why not?"

"Because! i already have a cat, and my mum and dads probably dont want another." 

"but it's my cat. I"ll take care of him and everything."

"What about when you go back to america?"

There was a tense silence. Neither of them had broached that subject, because neither one of them wanted it to happen.

"i'm not putting him back on the street, Karkat."

Karkat stared at him before sighing and sitting next to him and leaning against him, un pausing the film.

"I know."


	5. In Which John Realizes He Really Is Stupid Stupid Dumb

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I changed to first person just for this chapter, because otherwise it sounds weird. Sorry, and I hope you can forgive me.

I watch as Karkat fed the kitten again and grin as Carcat hops up on my lap. I scritch the old cat between the ears and grin even more. It's about eleven in the evening, and we are watching Enchanted. I look back over at the albino petting the tiny scrap of fur. John Kat's eyes had opened a few days prior, and they were a brilliant deep blue. Karkat loved the kitten at that moment for some reason.

And we haven't spoken about my having to go back to America since I brought the tiny thing home, either. I didn't know why I don't want to bring it up. Well, I do, after all, have a few weeks left before I have to head back to Washington State. 

Okay. That was a lie. I do know why I refuse to bring it up. But I seriously can't be in love with Karkat, can I? No. Karkat is my best friend/penpal/bropalhoncho. I don't love him like that...

Oh but I do. And I think about it all the damn time. And deny it less and less everyday.

I catch myself staring at the albino whenever I'm certain the other isn't looking. Like now. Karkat's far too absorbed in the fairy tale/real life combo story on the television. I love watching his expressions change as the movie continues, and the way his eyes tear up at the climax of the movie.

It's then that Karkat moves over and snuggles into my side, his head tucking under my chin as my arms wrap around him to hold him close. I press kisses to the whiter boy's crown, gently breathing in the scent of the rose shampoo that Karkat always likes to use.

we are only friends... Right?

"John,"

"Yeah, Karkat?"

"When do you have to leave?" Blunt. Just like I had grown used to.

Too soon, far too soon. "I have two weeks left."

"Has it really been that long?"

"Heh heh, yup." I say with a wry smile. I nuzzle my face in Karkat's hair. I shouldn't do that. We're just friends...

"I'll take care of JK for you." Karkat says softly.

"Heh, thanks." But who will take care of you for me? I want to.

"No problem. You just have to come visit again as soon as you can." His voice cracks.

"Ha. Of course I will." I can't leave half of me behind for too long, can I? Please don't cry. please oh please oh pleasepleasepleaseplease...

A sniffle from the albino, and I can't help but hold him tight, dislodging the old grey Carcat and pulling the human Karkat into my lap. Kar set JK onto the floor and wraps his arms around me, attempting to not cry, but failing miserably. I push my glasses onto my head and bury my face into the crook of Karkat's neck, gently whispering shoosh as I rub the albino's back, ignoring the fact that I am crying too.

I can't leave him. I need want need him. Willing to do anything for him. Give up anything for him. Give up Rose, Jade, Roxy, Jake, Dirk, Bro, Grandpa, Mom, Dave, Nanna, Dad, Jane for him. Give up piano for him. Move to England for him. He is my world. I can't live without him. He's become a necessity for me. Need him, like I need air. He is a part of me. Has been since forever. Since the first time I seen that angry scrawl. First letter. First penpal. Fist love. Impossible. I couldn't meet him. Dated girls. Gave up. Dad paid for trip. Love opened up from where I bottled it up. He is mine, and I am his. It has always been that way. We hadn't known it then. i need you Karkat. "I love you Karkat."

He tenses up before slowly pulling away and looking me in the face. "What?"

"I love you."


	6. i have no clue how to finish this, so im sorry if it's rushed.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> there MAY be an epilogue, probably

Karkat looked at him for a long moment, those pinkish red eyes wide, his cheeks flushed red, his silvery white hair a mess as usual. 

"Are you fucking with me?"

John blinked. He wasn't sure if that was good or not. Had he been reading Karkat wrong this whole time? Had he only seen what he wanted to see? He could imagine what Dave would say. 'only if you want me to' waggly eyebrows. Now was not the time to follow his friend's advice.

"No, I'm not. I am being completely, utterly one hundred and sixty-two percent honest with you. I love you. More than I can tell you. I just... I hadn't realized it until now." John said after a pause. His cheeks had turned red, and his eyes looked down at the cats as his courage faded rapidly.

Karkat was shocked stiff, his cheeks burning and his eyes still wide as saucers. John... Loved him. He was dumbfounded. Just what? How could his feelings have been reciprocated? 

"Holy shit..." He whispered, making those blue blue blue eyes look back at him. "Y-you really aren't fucking with me... You really l-love me?"

"Of course I do. You're a wonderful person. You're funny, you're smart, you're kinder than you like to admit."He smiled at him, that wide beautiful smile that made Karkat warm all over, the smile that made everyday worth it. That beautiful, kind warm loving smile that only belonged to a certain idiot that made Karkat's life fucking perfect. Then said idiot continued. "I like the way you get into the movies you watch, the way you curl against me when things get very emotional. I like the way you curl your toes into the carpet every time you stand up, i like the way your nose wrinkles slightly when you yawn. I like how you practically purr when you're talking to me while you're half asleep. I like how passionate you get when you're talking. And I like when you put up with me when no one else will. There are many other things that make me love you, but that's just a small part of the list."

Karkat's hands shakily moved up and cupped John's face, fingers white against tan skin. His thumbs lightly rubbed the other's cheekbones before he leaned forward and gently pressed their lips together. John stiffened for a moment before carefully kissing back. They pulled apart after a few minutes and looked at each other, both blushing furiously.

"I love you too, you stupid stupid dumb." Karkat smiled slightly at him. John started laughing, hugging the albino close. Karkat could feel the laughs originating in the other's chest, he could feel and hear them, and he just couldn't help but join in, laughing brightly with John.

That night, John slept in Karkat's bed with him, curled around him, wanting nothing more than to be with and love him forever. He and Karkat both dreamed of nothing but happiness that night, willing to take things one day at a time.


End file.
